Adopted Murder
by Unbranded Hero
Summary: Toris comes home from work one day to find out his home security has failed him and a young child named Ivan Braginski has left him a special 'gift' in his kitchen, sending his life spiraling into a completely new direction.  AU! Contains Child!Ivan
1. Congradulations! It's a boy!

Toris sighed and wiped sweat off his forehead, closing the car door behind him and locking it. It was hard to do with the towering pile of books and papers in his hands, but he managed somehow, like always. Toris Laurinaitis worked as a 1st grade teacher in a nearby elementary school. It was a busy and stressful but Toris was happy with it and wouldn't trade it for any other job. He could kind of be a pushover to the kids but they liked him and he liked them as well. Despite how troublesome they could be, he found helping them grow very rewarding.

He shifted slightly, trying to ease the papers into a neat pile against his chest. It was hard enough to trudge through the inches of snow covering the walkway to his house without them. It had been a particularly hard winter on him this year; he had just shoveled the sidewalk and walkway this morning before he left and it was already covered in snow again. He had on a simple white and green striped scarf with his old, thick brown coat, gloves and two layers of clothes on to help combat the cold but even with all that he could still feel Jack Frost nipping at his nose. He just dealt with it though, teeth clenched but chattering. He looked down at his pile of books and papers, looking over the first paper to plan the corrections he'd make to it when he got inside.

He groaned softly to himself when he noticed Alfred had once again put "The Hero" as his name on his paper. He was lucky Toris wasn't one of the teachers who threw your paper out if it didn't have your name on it. He supposed it was his own fault for not making a bigger point of it to Alfred or taking points off, but Alfred needed all of the points he could get. Plus Alfred could be painfully stubborn about things when he wanted to. It would be hard to convince him to put his actual name down. If he didn't stop the next time Toris asks him to he'd probably have to speak to Arthur about it... 

He was so absorbed in the paper he almost walked right into the front door, and he would have if he could, actually. The door was already open though, and Toris ended up going right through the doorway. He didn't really notice he was inside until he realized the background noise of his boots crunching the snow was gone. He paused for a moment and turned to look behind him, right through the doorway. He frowned, a puzzled look on his face. The door was open? How could that be?

He always made sure to check three times to make sure all of the windows and doors were closed and locked before he left his house. Call him a bit paranoid, but it was a habit that was hard to break, and better safe than sorry, right? How could he just forget to check it? He was 99.9% sure he checked it just like he did every other day... Unless...He didn't forget to lock it and someone had broken in.

With this new information realized Toris froze in his tracks, still staring at the tiled floor directly below him in shock. Someone might have broken in. Someone might have tried to rob him. Someone might have tried to...He shook his head, trying to shake off all of the thoughts racing through his mind, many of which he didn't want to have. He took a deep breath, slowly relaxing as he tried rationing with himself.

It was probably just his brothers visiting or something along the lines.

Though...they weren't known to have surprise visits very often.. Raivis was very forgetful, he might have just forgot to close the door. _Yes, that was more likely than someone breaking in_ Toris tried to assure himself. He'd just have to go farther inside and he'd be greeted by his brothers.

He'd scold them for coming uninvited, then Raivis would start apologizing

profusely and shaking with his effort like he always did. Toris would assure him it was alright and try to calm him down. Life would go on as normal and Toris would feel silly for ever worrying about it. Him and his brothers would get on with their visit and everything would be fine. Right? 

And that's when he saw it. He was too worked up to notice it at first, but now that he was starting to calm down he noticed the bright red in the corner of his eyes. He froze for a moment before slowly turning his head to look in its direction. His whole body went rigid, eyes unbelievably wide in shock, all of the books and papers he had been carrying falling unceremoniously to the floor.

Loose papers flew everywhere in the room, some of the unlucky ones landing on the bright red and sticking to the floor, the whole paper slowly turning into that unmistakable blood red. The red was pooled on the tile, a small river of it extending further from the puddle and running toward the door, extending its reach as it went. The deep red shined like rubies with the sunlight drifting in through the door, made even brighter by the snow reflecting it.

Everything was silent now, even Toris' thoughts, for once. It cast an eerie feeling around the place, as if there wasn't already one. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself yet not able to lift his head to see any farther of the puddle. His mind was filled with so many possibilities and he'd rather not see any of them. There was more deep breathing, but it didn't belong to Toris. It was more ragged, yet matched the time of Toris' breath perfectly. So perfectly Toris didn't even notice it. That is, at least until he finally managed to get the courage to look farther, convincing himself it was necessary. He couldn't just stay here forever.

His head hesitantly lifted itself. As soon as it did his forest green eyes met with cold violet ones. Those violet eyes seemed to pierce right through his very being, the unusual color making the hair on the back of Toris' neck stand straight up and shivers run down his spine. The eyes held him there, unable to look away or even blink for quite a while, mesmerized by their depth. Toris' whole body didn't move and inch, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. 

These eyes did not belong to Raivis. They did not have his timidness, his frailty in

them. They were cold eyes that have seen many things and no longer held love or fear in them, only indifference. They could not be described more accurately than the 'eyes of a killer'. They belonged to neither of his brothers. He took a breath and finally let his eyes trail downward once more to see past those violet hues.  
He was met with the sight of a bloody body with a crushed skull, far beyond being able to be recognized as anything other than a mound of flesh in the middle of a pool of blood. Toris was also met with the shaking body of a child, a body shaking with each heavy breath he took. Toris' own breath stopped and he definitely noticed the heavy breathing that did not belong to him, but he said nothing of it. It was obvious, no matter how much Toris wished otherwise, that this man was dead, pulverized. And in his kitchen. With...the killer? standing above the broken corpse and staring into Toris. No, not at Toris, but into him. Toris couldn't shake the feeling that those eyes could see right through him.

It...it was only a child though...His eyes stared blankly at Toris, no emotion showing through his face but his whole body shook with each breath. In one of his hands was a heavy looking pipe and his grip on it looked painfully tight, as if his life depended on it. The child slowly walked towards him, each step unsteady and the pipe dragging behind him. The sound of the metal against his tiled floor made Toris wince.

What surprised him most though was that as soon as the killer got closer he dropped the pipe, letting it fall to the floor with a loud _clank _and wrapping his arms around Toris' leg with that same painfully tight grip he had on the pipe. He slowly looked down at the child who was currently nuzzling into his thigh, movements almost desperate and his emotionless facade long gone. The child felt cold, almost as cold as the snow outside, his eyes closed as he continued to cling to Toris. Toris could feel his pants getting wet with what he thought were tears. There was only one thing heard throughout the mostly silent room. 

"Мне больно ... "

Toris was in shock as the small, bloody child clung to his leg and his mind completely froze; his mind was completely blank and he had to take a few moments to try and clear his thoughts so he could think properly. His body, however, did not need this pause. 

His parental instincts cut in and his body did exactly what it would do for any of the

children in his class. He hugged the small child, rubbing comforting circles into his back and humming a soft, Lithuanian melody he had heard often when he himself was young. Soon enough he was holding this small, bloody child to his chest and nuzzling into him, gently rocking and cooing, doing everything he absolutely could to soothe him. Everything else could wait until later, the child's happiness and safety came first. 

It took an hour or so of this until the small child's soft cries had died out and he calmed in Toris' arms, yawning tiredly after how worked up he got. His eyes were red and puffy still and his expression seemed...broken. As if happiness was sucked right out of him. For right now he was

mostly calm though and his face was nuzzled into the very motherly man's warm coat. Even though he was calm now the comforting continued as Toris slowly carried him into his room, no questions asked. Nothing was needed now. Toris didn't know what it was but when it came to children...they needed to be happy. He was the teacher who tended to get taken advantage of with puppy pouts and fake tears. He really needed to get his priorities in order yet... It's easier said than done. Instincts were hard to ignore 

Soon enough Toris had the child safely tucked into his bed, swaddled in the blankets far too big for him. He smiled softly as the child fell asleep within moments and gently brushed his light blond hair to the side. Now that the child was taken care of he had to face his own, real problems. It took a while to man up to them, but man up he did and with caution and relunctance he made his way back the the dreaded kitchen.

There is where _**it **_had happened. There was where _**it **_still was, cherry red pools gathered on his floor near it. 

He took a deep breath to try and calm his shaking body as he stepped carefully over the body,

his breath hitching as he did so. When his hand reached out and grabbed the phone he almost

dropped it with how shaky his hands were, barely able to dial the number. He had never processed the small words the child had spoken to him. Even if he had, they would have meant nothing to him. Empty words are what they have become, nothing but a plea on deaf ears. Toris did not understand any Russian except for maybe a few simple words. Hello, yes, no, how are you...things like that.

He explained what had happen over the phone and waited patiently until the police finally arrived. Only one had went inside though. 

"And you just found him like this when you came home, no one was here or anything that pointed to them being there?" asked a certain gentlemanly officer. It just happened to be a father to one of the kids Toris taught, Alfred Jones. Toris has needed to have a conversation with him on more than one occasion thanks to said child so they were very familiar with each other. Except this time, it was Toris' 'child' who was in trouble and his job to get him out, not the other way around. 

"N-no...There was... a child here but...he was just really upset and crying when I came home." was Toris' evasive response, trying not to show how much the signs pointed to the child being the murderer, his eyes averted. It couldn't possibly be that sweet child, could it? Yet, those eyes... Arthur, the police officer, picked up on it but just nodded and took notes before sighing and announcing he had to go and the identity of the body would be announced in a few days time.. Toris didn't have the heart to look close enough to double check if he could recognize anything about the body. 

He could finally relax when the police officer left with the body, his kitchen floor already cleaned off for evidence. At least that was one thing he didn't have to worry about. He took a deep breath before closing the door and going upstairs to check on the child he had just carried up there and put to sleep. He didn't even know his name right now, come to think of it. He'd have to ask him when he woke up.

Toris gently brushed a piece of hair away from the boys face and smiled. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. He must have been tired to be sleeping this well in a strangers bed. It's not like Toris' was the most comfortable bed either. He let himself just pet the boy's hair and enjoy how serene the moment seemed before reluctantly getting up and setting up a bed on the couch for himself. Despite how calming it had been he certainly didn't want to wake the poor boy up. Needless to say he didn't sleep too well that night. He wish he did, though. He had a lot of work to do the next day. He had to find out what he was going to do with this child, and that was enough work all on it's own. He had to figure out who he was, where he came from, where his parents were... He had to try and get him into the school Toris taught so he could keep an eye on him...He was going to need to find him someplace to sleep... He really needed to get sleep for tomorrow, but with all that on his mind he couldn't possibly sleep all that well. Toris was always the type to worry about things way more than he should at the worst possible times.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Toris' eyes stay closed tight even though the ability to sleep had left him quite a while ago. He tried to fight off the full wakefulness that threatened to take him over to no avail; It was stealing away any chance of getting more sleep that he had. The task was becoming rather difficult, evident by the wrinkles of concentration on his forehead, and all it was accomplishing was to add to his already huge headache. He should be getting up and embrace the day ahead of him but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Not yet anyway.

The chores and stress of the day were an ominous threat looming over his mind, making sleep all the more tempting. He'd much rather succumb to sleep once more and completely avoid the endless stress that came with each new day. So there he laid, unable to fall back asleep but trying nonetheless, eyes shut and curled up into a tight ball on the uncomfortable couch. The couch certainly wasn't helping his situation and for a moment Toris felt a twinge of irritation at having to sleep on it; He slept bad enough on his normal bed! It didn't last very long though.

Instead, Toris found himself thinking of why he was sleeping there in the first place and of the adorable, helpless child who had desperately clung to his leg, crying his heart out. His resolve to be mad about the couch dissolved instantly, leaving behind a little feeling of embarrassment about being mad in the first place. It wasn't the child's fault he was sleeping on the couch. He should be happy that the child is comfortable in his bed right now instead of him. At least, he hoped the child was comfortable. He wasn't quite sure. The little one had seemed to enjoy it last night, but he was really tired then. Toris wouldn't be surprised if he would have been comfortable sleeping on a hardwood floor as long as he could sleep at the time.

The child, Toris suddenly realized. What would happen if the child woke up and nobody was there? He might get scared...Toris certainly didn't want that to happen! Toris finally found motivation to get himself up. He made his way half way up the stairs before pausing. Well...He didn't hear any noise yet...so he supposed to child was still asleep... It would be rude to go up and chance waking him up if he didn't at least have breakfast with him!

Toris found himself walking back downstairs and into the kitchen that he had been so afraid to go in yesterday. He hummed softly to himself as he tried to think of what he should make for their breakfasts. _Their_. The word felt odd, even in his thoughts, but it was nice. He hadn't been able to say any plural form of anything at home anymore, ever since Raivis and Eduard decided to move out.

Something about the boy had reminded him of Russia so he decided to make blini for the both of him. He hadn't made blini in a while...Maybe some of the words did soak into him. The humming continued throughout his cooking but it paused every so often to make sure there was no crying or anything similiar coming from his room upstairs. He debated it a while when he was finished but he decided to take his plate upstairs with him as well. The child could have some of his as well if he was still hungry and he could stay up there while he ate.

He made his way upstairs, careful to balance both of the plates so they didn't fall on his way up. Much to his surprise, the child was already awake when he got there. He was just staring out of the window, not moving or saying anything. Toris could barely even hear him breathing. He knocked nervously on the door to get his attention. The boy slowly turned to face him, his face emotionless just like it was last night. It noticeably made Toris more nervous.

"Uhm...I'm really sorry for bothering you, dear...but um...are you hungry...?" He tried to push the nervousness out of his voice and give the biggest, most comforting smile he could manage. There was a long pause of silence and it made Toris even more nervous. Did the foreign boy even understand what he was saying? Stupid Toris! Why would someone that young who was obviously foreign know a second language already? But then...why was he here in the first place...? Then he finally spoke up, a carefree smile much more befitting of a child appearing on his face. Somehow, it didn't feel right, something was off with it.

"Da." he frowned slightly in though before continuing, "Thank...you...?" it was obvious he had trouble speaking English, and he had a thick russian accent but he still managed. Toris was surprised he understood at all. He just nodded and offered the plate out to the boy. He happily took it and started to eat it, but was a bit clumsy about it.

"Ahh...I hope you don't mind me asking but...Would you mind telling me your name...?" Toris asked hesitantly. Ivan nodded and Toris thought it meant he minded before he spoke again.

"I...ivan.." He answered with a small bit of difficulty, refusing to wait until he swallowed his food to answer. Toris smiled warmly at him and the child...Ivan.. moved his hand up to wipe away some jam that got on his cheek. Unfortunately it ruined the grip he had on the plate and it went falling to the floor, Ivan giving a small gasp.

Toris tried to catch it but missed, only managing to block any of the shards from hitting Ivan when it shattered against the floor. Unfortunately, all those shards that he made miss Ivan found their way imbedded into his hand. He winced and worked on getting them out of his hand, blood welling up from all of the cuts they caused. 

"Ha...s-sorry...My n-name's Toris...I'll get this cleaned up..." He laughed nervously. Ivan's face once again became expressionless as he stared at the blood on Toris' hand. Then it broke out into an even wider smile, practically a grin as giggle after giggle tumbled out of his mouth, his hand taking Toris, wiping the blood away from Toris and onto his own hand. He held his hand up to the sunlight.

"Toris~ Toris~ Look~ Isn't it so pretty~?" The english words tumbled out quicker and more fluent in what seemed like excitement though every word was still heavily accented. Toris couldn't even move as he slowly processed what Ivan had just done, jaw slightly agape.

XXXXxxxxXXXX

Мне больно - It hurts

I finally started working on this :D Unfortunately, it's going to take second place to my newer fic, Unacceptable because my friend is practically holding a gun to my head for me to work on it. I promise to work on only this on the weekends though~ The other story I'll work on during weekdays. Hopefully I'll update more often now that my chapters won't crash anymore. (I started using google docs) I'm going to try to update at least once a month.

I'm also going to be starting up one more story~ (gah) Maybe m rated. I don't know what pairing to do though, so tell me which one you'd want and whether you'd want it m rated or not. Please don't ask for RussLiet though since all my fanfics have them so far. xD The one that gets the most requests when I'm ready to start writing it will be the pairing and rating it will have~

Reviews are loved, Constructive Criticism, Compliments, Ideas, votes or otherwise~


	2. Ivan's Day

Ivan pouted when Toris didn't give him an answer, slowly putting his hand back down, turning his gaze on Toris. He looked perfectly innocent, his lower lip stuck out in a pout and he had the look of a child who had given their mother a mud pie only to find out she didn't like it.

"Toris...doesn't think it's pretty...?" His voice was slow and measured, confusing mixing on his face as Toris' reaction slowly sunk into him. Toris was just as confused but for different reasons, and felt quite troubled. He tried to shake it off though. Ivan was just a child, he probably just liked the color red is all. He didn't know any better, he just thought it was a pretty color. That's all. Toris gave him a shaky smile.

"U-uhm...I suppose that's a pretty shade of red Ivan but...b-blood isn't pretty..."He laughed nervously, trying his best to clean up the mess, using the already bloodied bed sheets to clean up the blood on Ivan's hand. He didn't protest, but his pout got even worse and he didn't say anything else, just looking at Toris like he was the strangest person he ever met. For all Toris knew, to Ivan he was the strangest person he ever met. Toris knew next to nothing about him, after all...

"Ah...uhm...Ivan, where do you live? I can try to help you get home if you'd like..." Toris words were laced with an edge of reluctance. He almost wanted to keep the boy here, but he knew that was impossible and selfish of him to even think of the idea. Ivan wasn't his child, he had a family somewhere who loved him and was lost is all. It's not like Toris could just keep him, and besides, he already had plenty of children to watch over at work. The only difference was...they weren't his...

He shook his head slightly, trying to get the stupid thoughts out of it. Ivan wasn't his either. Unfortunately, he would not be lucky enough to have a child who he could take care of and protect throughout their lives while they loved him unconditionally. It was a stupid thought and he should just be fine taking care of children every day at his work. Even if it was a new batch of children every year and he never got to know them long...

After a pause an address tumbled out of Ivan's mouth, but it was not one familiar to Toris. At the look of confusion he was given, Ivan continued it further, each word carefully said like he was pulling it from his memory. Then Toris finally realized that the address was someplace in Russia. He couldn't exactly walk Ivan home there.

"That's...all the way in Russia, Ivan. I...can't walk you home to there...are you sure that's not your old address?" He probably had just moved and didn't know his new address yet. Toris still couldn't extinguish the hope that maybe that was his address and he'd have a reason to keep Ivan for just a bit longer. It was ridiculous though and he scolded himself for it, he shouldn't be wishing those kinds of things on Ivan! He should hope he'd get home as soon as possible.

"It doesn't matter" was the impalpable answer Ivan gave before hopping off the bed and walking right past Toris out into the hall way. Toris gave a small groan and tried not to let the unusual crypticness of the young child get to him, standing up and picking up the bloodied sheets. He soon found himself following after him, a small frown on his face as he wondered just where he could be off to. It wasn't like he was familiar with Toris' house, so what did he plan to do? Toris felt a small jolt of worry at the boy just walking off like that.

"Ivan? Where are you going...?" He asked nervously, still following behind at a brisk pace, afraid Ivan was going to get himself in trouble. Toris barely knew anything about the boy and didn't know what to expect from him but he certainly did not want to trust him off on his own. It seemed like his neighborhood was a dangerous place recently, is so was his house. The memories of the dead body left on his kitchen floor started to surface and he shook his head frantically, trying to force them out. Instead he tried to focus on taking care of Ivan.

Ivan seemed to think a bit about Toris' question, humming as he did so and his slow steps turning more energetic ones, bouncing slightly as he walked. A few giggles escaped out of his mouth when he finally spinned around to look at Toris, finally coming up with an answer.

"I have no idea~ I was just going to explore until Toris got all tired out~" His wide, innocent smile didn't match the spite laced into his words. He said it almost as if he could run around the house for hours without getting tired while Toris would become too tired to follow him within a few minutes. Toris wouldn't doubt it after having chased many many kids and usually he never caught them. Unless it had been around their naptime, that is. Toris didn't even notice the spite though, and smiled at Ivan has he talked.

"Ah, you must be pretty bored here. I'm sorry, I don't have any toys here or anything but...maybe I could take you out someplace to have fun?" He laughed softly as he offered it to Ivan, already going to grab his coat and wondering if one of Raivis' that he left here would fit Ivan well enough... His words seemed to perk Ivan's attention and he followed Toris to his coat rack. 

"Take...me...out...?" He frowned slightly as the he processed the words and after a while he finally nodded, though it was hesitant and his eyes were full of curiosity. Toris tried to fit him in one of Raivis' coats and Ivan tried it on without complaining, it had felt weird to him to not have a coat on. It fit better than Toris expected, but it was still a bit too big. It went a bit past his body and arms, dragging on the floor and it hung off his body. It was kind of cute, but for the first time Toris noticed just how skinny Ivan was when it was only emphasized by how big the coat was on him. Toris was almost certain that if Ivan's shirt was off he could count every rib. He didn't comment on it though, his smile only wavering for a second.

Toris decided the coat fit well enough though because a moment later Ivan was inside his car, the coat bundled around him. He wasn't sure where to take Ivan at first. He's never had a child of his own and he's never really taken care of one outside of school. Where did they like to go out to...? He frowned as he thought, straining his memory for any specific place the children talked fondly of. The first thing that came to mind was of course, Disneyland. After that though, the only place he could think of (besides Alfred's weird obsession with McDonald's) was Chuckie Cheese's. Without much further thought he started heading to there, turning the radio on but leaving it at just any channel. He really only used it for background noise, his mind was always too busy to focus on the words or anything. Ivan didn't seem to like the music though, Toris being able to see the pout on his face through the car mirror. He changed it, watching Ivan out of the corner of his eye as he did. Ivan finally seemed happy when he was on a station that was playing classical music. Toris just shrugged and left it on, focusing more on driving. Ivan hummed to the music in the backseat, though his tune was slightly off, creating a somewhat more eerie version of the song.

It took awhile for them to get there, Toris had only a vague idea of where it was, but eventually he made his way there. Ivan seemed to be watching it with a restrained interest. Toris couldn't help a small smile and opened Ivan's door for him, helping his coat off and helping him out of the car. He held his hand all the way into the door and Ivan didn't seem to mind. He did keep staring at their hands though, and his gaze was a bit uncertain, as if he thought Toris was going to use that grip to throw him off a bridge or something of that ridiculous sort.

He let go of Toris' hand as soon as they got inside though. In fact, he ran off and hid underneath a table, his eyes shut tight and his hands clamped over his ears, hands and his whole body shaking. Toris frowned, watching him for a moment before hesitantly approaching him, gently tapping his shoulder.

"Ivan...? What's wrong, are you okay...?" His words were soft and sounded a lot like a comforting mother but Toris didn't notice. Ivan only gave a small wail, Toris wasn't even sure he could hear him through his hands and the loud noises of the place. he sighed softly and did the only thing he could think of. He picked Ivan up, cradling him against his chest and carried him outside. Ivan had clung to him at first, but slowly relaxed in his grip as they left. He had a blush on his face and looked away, a frown on his face.

"..Put me down." He mumbled it out, but he sounded irritated all the same, as well as a bit embarrassed. Toris just laughed softly and nodded, putting Ivan down gently. It had felt nice to carry him like that, though Toris wasn't sure why. He had no problem putting him back down though, if that is what the purple eyed child wanted. Not to mention the expression he had right now was just adorable. Toris kept that bit to himself though as he'd imagine Ivan wouldn't take it very well.

"I'm sorry...was there something wrong with that place..? I didn't think you'd...act like that...Most kids like that place..." Toris had his own blush now, nervousness showing through his words as he helped Ivan back into the car. Ivan made a sour face for a moment before finally answerring.

"Too loud." was all the answer Toris could get out of him and soon enough he was driving the car around again, looking and trying to find some other place to take Ivan.

"Ahh...I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had sensitive ears. I'll be more careful next time...I'll still take you out somewhere, but I'm not sure where...So look out the window and if you see anything you'd like to go to just speak up, okay?" Ivan gave a small nod and Toris exhaled a sigh of relief. He drove around aimlessly for quite a while. The only times Ivan would speak up was to say something sarcastically, like pointing to the sky and saying he'd like to go out to there. It was starting to get to Toris but he still managed to force a smile on his face. Even he was reaching his limits though, you could only take so much of a rude child, and Ivan was certainly being as rude and troublesome as he could manage.

Finally Ivan spoke up about something non-sarcastically. At first Toris thought it was another sarcastic request, but the tone in Ivan's voice lead him to believe it was something Ivan truly wanted to go see. He had seen a billboard with an advertisement for a ballet that was going to be played all this week. His voice had been filled with an awed excitement held inside of him that Toris couldn't possibly say no. He drove to where it was being held with a bit of uncertainty on how much Ivan was actually going to enjoy it. He took him nonetheless, and Ivan couldn't be any less excited. He was bouncing up and down in his seat and practically skipped inside when he got there. Toris helped him inside and into a seat and at first Ivan was just as much a bother as he was in the car.

When the lights went out and the play started though, he calmed down and was perfectly quiet, perfectly still. His eyes were glued to the stage and it seemed like he was trying his hardest not to blink, not wanting to miss a single second of the ballet unfolding before him. Toris found himself not paying an ounce of attention to the play and spending all of it watching IVan. If Ivan noticed, he didn't say anything, he was too caught up in the play.

He sat at the edge of his seat, hands gripping the seat as he watched. His eyes followed every little twirl and move of the dancers, not leaving the stage for a second, showing clear emotions throughout the whole ballet. The emotions shown throughout it became his own emotions, expressing happiness when the dancers did, and sadness as they did. All of it drew Ivan in completely and he had to stop himself from falling off the chair in excitement a couple of times. All of his reactions seemed comical to Toris, yet so heartfelt. It was certainly interesting to watch, much more interesting than the ballet itself in Toris' opinion. Soon enough it was over though, and despite Ivan being slightly sad that it ended he was in a rather good mood after it. Toris would have to ask him why he loved it so much later, but for now he just basked in how happy the child was.

As they left the place Ivan's happiness very obviously showed through. He was trying to imitate some of the dancers, humming the music gently to himself, yet like in the car the tune was imperfect and eerie sounding. Toris didn't pick up on it though. He thought it sounded perfectly fine and happy, just smiling softly as he watched Ivan, stifling laughs when Ivan would over do a spin too much and get dizzy or fall over. He didn't say anything though, not wanting to ruin the good mood Ivan was in. Ivan got in the car by himself this time, giggling happily but perfectly content to sit in the car and calm down. Toris finally spoke up as he started the car.

"I'm going to take us out someplace to eat before we go home, okay?" he asked and his voice was at a perfectly normal volume yet Ivan didn't seem to hear him, too off in his own world of tutus and ballet slippers. Toris just gave a small smile and kept driving, heading to the restaurant anyways. He was almost certain Ivan wouldn't mind, and if he did when they got there he'd just take him back home. He didn't want to bother him now, when he was so happy. Though he did have to admit, he was slightly jealous. He wish he could make Ivan as happy as the ballet did...Oh well, he guessed in a way he did, after all, he was the one who took him to it...

The car ride was long, Toris taking his time to ride there, finding it odd to have a child in the back of his car not making any noise other than the occasional hum. Toris enjoyed his peace and quiet but it seemed it wasn't good for him because it just brought everything to the surface. Everything went through his head at once in the quiet, but at least it was slower than the normal stressful rush of thoughts. He wanted to manage to clear his thoughts before getting there, and there were so very many...

The one that was most prominent was thoughts involving the dead body he found in his kitchen but they were also the ones he wanted to think about least. Why couldn't his brain agree with him for once? He tried to push those thoughts to the back of his head for now but it just gave him a headache. He busied himself with dealing with the other thoughts.

He had no idea how he was going to get Ivan home. He barely knew anything about the small boy other than he had a strange love of ballet. It was going to pain to find anything about him too. Toris is far from rude and wouldn't just start asking the little one questions. It would end up making Ivan feel uncomfortable and he's sure that his parents told him not to tell anything to strangers. Then again this was the boy that was in his house by a dead body when he came home yesterday.

There was that thought again and he shook his head as if that would help shake it out of his mind. Ivan noticed and for a moment went outside his world of twirling dancers and gentle music to watch Toris, a curious expression on his face as he wondered what Toris was doing. It was impossible to avoid the thoughts that kept plaguing him and Toris just tried to think other thoughts a bit louder than others. He was noticeably starting to freak out as his thoughts started to get to him.

He was going to have to set up Ivan at school, wasn't he? It might be awhile before Toris could figure out how to get him home. How did he get here anyways? Funny strange things sure liked to happen to Toris. Toris would like it if he got to stay a bit longer though. He was really nice, really. Toris was rather fond of him. Maybe if he was lucky he would get Ivan in his class to teach. Probably not though, the school usually tries to keep students that have relationships with the teachers out of their class. Besides, Ivan looked a bit too big to be in first grade. Oh well, Toris could hope. 

Ivan had really good English for someone who thinks they live in Russia. Sure, it was accented and he had his slip ups but if he just moved here without warning, he shouldn't know anything at all. He must have had some sort of warning that he was coming there then, otherwise he wouldn't know the language, right? Then why did he think he still lived in Russia... It was strange, but Toris would find out soon enough, at least he hoped. He needed to stop stressing about everything and just calm down. He just needed to keep Ivan happy and other people would do the rest. It wasn't his job to be finding this out, in fact it wasn't even really his job to watch Ivan until everything was settled. He wanted that job though, so for now he would.

He ended up driving a little faster as his thoughts got worse, he needed to keep himself busy and hopefully chewing food and talking to little Ivan would be enough. Ivan had long since lost interest in Toris and was back in his own little world. Toris had to call out his name quite a few times before he finally looked up and uttered a small 'Hm?'

"We're at a restaurant, I hope you don't mind. I thought you might be hungry. Breakfast was quite a while ago, you know~" Ivan just nodded, though Toris caught a small smile on his face as he hopped out of the car, taking Toris' hand and letting him lead them into the restaurant. It was a small, Russian one that Toris had seen when he was driving. He might have been here a few times before, but he couldn't quite remember. Everything had been blurring in his life lately. Every day tended to be extremely similar, and any differences were quickly forgotten. Not today though, and Toris wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing anymore. Ivan took a look at the restaurant and smiled brightly at it, quickly getting excited. 

"Toris! I know hereee~" He let go of Toris' hand to run ahead inside and Toris had a mini panic attack that Ivan was going to get himself in some form of trouble. He chased after him but when he got inside he saw Ivan happily talking away to one of the workers in Russian. Toris sighed, but smiled and felt strangely happy at the feeling it brought him, chasing Ivan around and looking after him. It was already helping the troubling thoughts he always had disappeared into the back of his head, and then completely. He called out gently to Ivan and he skipped over to him, the worker giving him a strange look before walking over to them. He asked Toris where he would like to sit, and if it was a table for two. Toris nodded, told her he didn't mind and was lead to a small table by a window.

"Did you know her, Ivan?" Toris asked him gently when she had left again. The place was strong and obviously didn't have very good business, but it was nice and cozy. It gave off the feeling that everyone here knew each other. Ivan shook his head, but then paused, pressing one of his small fingers to his lips.

"Sort of. I saw her last time was here..." Ivan frowned as he seemed to be remembering the last time he came here. Toris frowned as well, slightly worried about him.

"Ahh...I'm sorry, it just seemed like you were talking to her as you would someone you know. Then again it feels like that sometimes when you talk to me..." He laughed softly, the idea making him happy, though he felt a strange bit of jealousy that Ivan was just like that to everyone. Ivan seemed confused, but it got him out of his thoughts and he just shrugged. His mouth still curved downwards and he seemed troubled though so Toris tried his best to cheer him up. He didn't know what to say though, so he might as well let himself slip and ask Ivan one of the many questions running through his mind about the boy.

"It seemed you really enjoyed yourself at the ballet...I'm glad, though I was a bit surprised. Why is it you like it so much?" Toris really hoped Ivan didn't take the question the wrong way and got offended. He certainly didn't need Ivan mad at him on top of everything else he had to deal with. Ivan brought so much trouble into his life already and yet...he couldn't say he regretted meeting him either.

"Cause it's really really pretty..." he trailed off, leaving it there for a moment though it was obvious there was more he wanted to say and a moment later he said it, "My sister used to take ballet, she really really liked it...and sometimes...she would come home and try to teach some of it to me." He smiled and looked at Toris though his smile was bittersweet, eyes filled with secrets Toris didn't know of. He could see the troubled look in them though, happy, yet broken. Hopeless, almost. Toris frowned and tried not to let it get to him and keep the conversation going.

"That sounds really nice, Ivan...What's your sister like?" Toris asked curiously but tried not to sound too prodding. He didn't like it for himself then, it was for his sister's influence. That wasn't a bad thing though, maybe even better. Toris knew he had tons of things he only ended up liking because other people did. He still had his things that he liked for just himself though, and those were usually he appreciated the most.

...At least when he was by himself, anyways. Ivan just seemed to hum, seeming a bit more troubled before he finally spoke again. His voice was filled with fondness and a longing.

"She was smaller than me, and really really pretty... She got sad easy but she made herself feel better when she hugged me. The only time she wasn't near me was at ballet. She was really, reallyyyyy good." Ivan nodded to himself, as if affirming it, his eyes closing as he thought about his little sister, bittersweet smile still on his face. Toris opened his mouth to speak but that's when their waiter came and introduced himself, asking what they'd like to drink. Ivan spoke up immediately, eager to change his train of thought. They argued in rushed Russian before Ivan finally turned to Toris.

"Toriiisssss. Tell him I can have vodka, pleasseeee~?" he whined out, a pitiful looking pout on his face. Toris gave him a surprised look. That's what they were arguing about? He sighed and looked to the side to avoid Ivan's absolutely adorable puppy pout.

"Ivan...you can't have vodka...Not until you get older, okay? Get an orange juice or something..." Toris sighed softly but Ivan stayed stubborn, pout unwavering as he gave a small huff at Toris.

"Can I have vodka _in_ my orange juice?" his voice sounded grumpy at first but then turned to pleading to try and play on Toris' sympathies as he realized Toris was looking away to avoid them. His eyes got big and watery and his lower lip jutted out, leaning closer and closer to Toris.

"No, Ivan!" he raised his voice slightly before lowering it again "It's bad for you, okay...? I just don't want you to get hurt. Now please order something else." Toris sighed and kissed the top of Ivan's head.

Ivan seemed surprised at first, eyes widening slightly and his puppy pout dissapearing completely as he looked at Toris for a moment. He then sunk back into his chair, looking a bit confused and playing with the ends of his scarf. "It is not..." but it was mumbled and said half heartedly. A moment later he asked the waiter for a hot chocolate instead. Toris smiled and ordered a water for himself.

"Thank you Ivan. How about I get you whatever you'd like for dessert to make up for it, hmmm?" He smiled warmly at the boy and Ivan seemed still confused about it for whatever reason, but nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly. Toris read off the kids menu to him, trying to figure out what he'd like for himself in the back of his head. The waiter didn't take long to come back with their drinks and Toris placed both of their orders for them, though Ivan gave him a small look, skulking in the corner of the table. He wanted to order for himself, but he didn't complain at the moment.

Ivan was quiet for a while, just staring out the window. The silence was getting to Toris but he just didn't know what to say to interrupt the silence. He didn't want to bring up Ivan's sister up again since it only seemed to make him upset. The same with ballet, since apparently it was connected to his sister. He didn't know much else about the boy and at that realization he frowned. He felt so close to the little boy already yet he knew nothing about him, and was too nervous and afraid to ask. He was dreading having to take him home and he didn't even know what his favorite color was!...Well that question wasn't too dangerous. The waiter gave them the food they ordered and after Toris thanked him he took a deep breath, asking the question.

"Ivan...do you have a favorite color...?" This seemed to catch Ivan by surprise and he just stared for a moment before starting to think about it.

"Well...I really like pink..but yellow is really bright and warm and happy..." He frowned, trying to pick out his favorite, snuggling into his scarf slightly, "I think I'd have to say red though, it's even brighter and warmer than yellow~" He nodded a bit, giving a small giggle. Toris found his mind flashing back to this morning when Ivan mentioned how pretty his blood was and he shivered, quickly trying to distract himself again. He was determined that he would have as little bad thoughts as possible today. Today was Ivan's day, after all. Toris needed to savour it because he had no idea when the child was leaving him, just like his brother did. He sighed softly and gave Ivan a small smile.

"I suppose it is rather nice, it's the color of sunsets and such...and the color of yummy jam" Toris gave a small laugh, trying to seem perfectly at ease but his nerves were still getting to him.

"And the color of blood~" Ivan giggled out happily, giving a small happy hum and taking a forkful of food to his mouth, biting it off a bit violently. Toris frowned, a bit of shock running through him but he didn't have long to work the feelings out at hearing Ivan bring that back up. A moment later his cellphone started ringing and a bit flustered he rushed to answer it. His hands fumbled trying to get it out of his pocket, they were shaking slightly and his tone wavered as he answered the phone.

"H-hello?" he said shakily into the phone. He almost dropped the phone at the voice that answered him. It was a very professional sounding tone and the words were emotionless, though it seemed a bit as if he was trying to dodge around the subject, yet knew he had to say it. It was odd and rubbed Toris all the wrong ways, making his hair stand up at the back of his neck and his eyes look to Ivan a bit nervously, afraid about how everything was going to affect the odd blond haired boy. He couldn't help the motherly protective feeling that took him over when it came to Ivan. The voice also had a British accent.

"Toris Laurinaitis, this you, right?" Arthur asked and Toris nodded numbly before realizing Arthur couldn't see him over the phone. Ivan looked at him curiously, picking up on his unusual behavior.

"T-taip...I-it's me..." he stuttered out, eyes not breaking from Ivan's. Somehow, they helped him calm down slightly and not at all. It was a very willing. The next words made his heart sink into his stomach though.

"We found out who it was, Mr. Laurinaitis."

XXxxXXxxXX

I made a tumblr for fanart and to post teasers of my fanfictions on if you'd like to see it and maybe make pretty fanart for me~ 3 I'm going to try to update more often as well. :3

unbrandedhero (dot) tumblr (dot) com


End file.
